Bobby Nixon

Education: I graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2010 and since then I have been developing my work. My subject matter hasnt changed too much since I made my first few paintings at high school. I’ve always been drawn to dark imagery.

German expressionists: The first paintings I ever took an interest in were from a book of George Groszs work, which I found slightly repulsive however I kept going back to the same book. There is a combination of technical and emotional resonance the German Expressionists achieved, which is something I want to try and get across in my own work.

Time: I like to work on a few pieces at once so over the course of a year I get 2 or 3 works completed.

Experiences: I learned a lot at Art College and from being around like-minded people. It allowed me to be more ambitious and pushed my work on quickly.

Starting new work: I like using ink on paper as it means I have to consider what I’m drawing, I can’t go back once it’s on the paper. Usually I’ll get down an initial idea and then react to how it looks and just keep adding. It ends up being a rigid process in terms of technique but it allows for ideas to develop organically.

Studio: I spend 2 days a week in the studio. Having that limited time has forced me to be more patient. Some days the work seems to progress quickly, other days I find it more challenging.

Narrative, viewer: Making artwork has been a way of questioning my more nihilistic thoughts on living on planet earth. I’d hope my work at least offers an alternative view of life in our cosmos.

Future: I’m in it for the long run, so my main focus is making the work better. I’ve recently started printmaking and I’m quite excited about exploring this new process. I have just finished a portfolio of black and white screen-prints titled, ‘Pork Chops’ which can be found on my website.

If you would like to see more of the artist's work click here for their website.